It's Statistics, Apparently
by thecellocaseofdoom
Summary: "You see...statistics say that I am falling in love with you. And statistics don't lie. What do you have to say for yourself, Hana-chan?" LxOC R & R minna!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: It's Statistics, Apparently (Prev. title: Breathing Underwater)**

**Summary: "You see...statistics say that I am falling in love with you. And statistics don't lie. What do you have to say for yourself, Akahana-san?" **

**-BTW, that moment with that line won't happen 'till a little later in the story. :)  
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**HOLY COW. First Death Note ficlet! And it's a multi-chapter one! Damn, I'm ambitious. xD Ah, well, I can only hope it won't crash and burn…**

**Light: This fic better be good, or I'll write down your name in my notebook.**

**L: *points accusingly* Aha! So you ARE Kira! **

**: D Enyways…Thanks for clicking on this, minna! **

**So I was trolling on YouTube watching Death Note and downloading Marie Digby's 'Breathing Underwater' and then this plot came to mind. Hope ya like it!**

**BTW my OC's full name is: Matsuda Akahana. I know this chapter doesn't tell much about her, but don't worry, I'll make her clearer every chapter. **

**L: Miyu-chan does not own Death Note in any way, shape, form, size, color—**

**Me: OKAY, OKAY, WE GET IT! **

**P.S: BTW, the time line of this fic is a few months after the four members of the NPA started working directly with L, and L started suspecting Light Yagami. So yeah, Matsuda and the others already work with L. Just a reminder ^_^  
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><p>"Watari?"<p>

L, the world's greatest detective, had his eyes glued onto the window as he observed a passing bakery. _Sweet Sanctuary_, the sign in front said. _Well, I have been working hard for the past few days…maybe it's time I took a break. Just a couple of hours, what harm could it do? _

"Yes, L?"

"I plan to go out this afternoon."

Watari raised his eyebrows and then caught a glimpse of the bakery L had been eyeing as they drove past. The old man smiled underneath his moustache.

They were on their way back to the hotel they were currently staying at. L had just decided to take the entrance exam for To-Oh University in order to keep a better eye on Light Yagami, and Watari had driven him there in order to sign him up.

"I'll notify the others."

-L!-

_Finally, I'm here. _

I heard the familiar tinkling of the bell as I pushed open the door and crossed the threshold. There was a light chattering around, and a few people were seated here and there on little tables. The tension in my muscles relaxed as I breathed in the sweet, seductive scent of cookies and cakes.

My eyes immediately locked in on the display of delicious treat after treat on the counter.

_My wallet will be considerably lighter after this. What the hell. _

"Hey Hana," Mitsu, the guy at the register of my absolute favorite bakery in Japan, greeted me with a grin. "How's it going? And you're dragging snow into the place, by the way."

It was true. I was damp and cold all over. Snow and slush were dripping from my boots and my clothes onto the previously pristine tile floors. _Meh, not my fault the weather is so terrible right now. _

Grinning, I shook my hair, spraying bits of snow and water onto Mitsu. And the counter. And a few of the people who were unfortunate enough to be sitting on tables not a few meters from me. I avoided the cakes, though, as they are not be messed with.

Needless to say, I got a few glares from the assorted crowd and more than a few cusses, but nobody really said anything else. There was a kind of lethargy present in the bakery that made everyone not really want to do anything but sit down and eat and look out the window.

By the end of my little act, I was considerably less cold and damp than I had been a few seconds ago. I had also made quite a mess of snow on the ground.

"Tell Annabelle I said hi." I grinned brightly. It was a well known fact that Annabelle (the owner of the bakery) hated mess of any kind, shape, size, or form. She throws a fit over the tiniest smudge on any surface of her bakery. I swear that woman can see microscopic dirt.

Mitsu rolled his eyes. "Will do. You drive her insane. But she can't ban you because you're one of our regulars, and the staff would throw a fit if she stopped you coming here. You know they love you."

I strike a ridiculous pose, point my finger somewhere to the ceiling, and bat my eyelashes so fast that I looked like I was having some sort of twitching attack. "Of _course _they love me. Who doesn't?"

Mitsu pretended to think. "…Every sane person in the world?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that blight to my awesomeness. My ears don't hear lies."

Mitsu laughed, shaking his head. "What'll it be for today Hana?"

"Eh…." I muttered, peering into the display counter which was encased in glass. There were so many treats to choose from. Rows and rows of different kinds of fragrant cupcakes, and little columns of cakes that made your mouth water just at the sight of them, and all other sorts of different pastries and treats that probably made you gain fifty pounds just by looking at them…

If that damn glass plate wasn't in the way, I could easily scoop everything up and make some sort of escapade. _Heh heh heh…_

Okay. Bad idea. Especially since my brother is a cop and I'm supposed to be role model citizen or whatever.

"I think I'll have three of those cinnamon rolls and… two vanilla cupcakes...and a cup of hot chocolate." I decided, letting my stomach do the picking for me. I was hungry, calories be damned. Truth be told, my family wasn't that rich, so it was actually a rare treat for me to be able to go to the bakery, but I always managed to go at least thrice a week.

"Do you want us to bring it to your usual seat?" Mitsu asked, in the act of going over to the kitchen's direction.

"Nah," I decided. "Waiting here's much more fun."

"Coming right away then," Mitsu said cheerily, ducking behind a door and yelling the order at the chef. I leaned an arm against the counter and cast my glance towards the window.

School had been extra tiring today. I don't know if it had been National _Pick-On-Your-Students-Today_ Day, but we had taken a total of five major exams and three pop quizzes the morning alone. I was pretty sure half of my brain cells had died.

Also, the mounting pressure of the To-Oh University entrance exams had really taken a toll on me these past few days.

_Entrance exams are only two days away…_I mused, turning back to the counter and finding Mitsu just coming back with my order.

I paid, thanked Mitsu, and, holding my tray carefully, headed to my usual seat. The chatter was up to a lively hum, and I inhaled the aroma of my hot chocolate.

My usual seat was a little ways into the side of the bakery so it was kind of isolated. But a big bonus was it was directly in front of a large window so that you could watch the people going up and down the busy streets of Japan. Or spy on them. Whichever.

The only downside to my seat was...well, there was already someone else on it. _Damn. _

I could make out unruly, spiky black hair and a rumpled white shirt and a pair of faded jeans. I narrowed my eyes in the approximation of a glare.

Any other normal person would have just shrugged and looked for another seat, but I wanted to find out who it was who dared to sit down on my seat, so I took a step closer.

Whoever the trespasser was though, he had his face bowed down making it hard to make anything out except he was unnaturally pale….and he was hunched down pretty weird…and he was sitting, no, perching on the chair, and he was…

Staring at me with black eyes the size of watermelons. I took an involuntary step back. _Eeep! _

Eyes that were black and seemingly bottomless, with dark hollows under them. A pale, pale complexion. He inexplicably reminded me of a panda.

Neither of us spoke, or moved away. His eyes continued to bore into mine, like he recognized me from somewhere. I felt my palms sweating, panicked at why he was staring at me with such intensity when I was sure I had never seen this guy in my entire life.

After one and a half minutes of an agonizing stare-down, with me wondering what the hell was going on in here, he cleared his throat.

"Was there something you wanted?"

…_The nerve of this guy. _My eye twitched and I resisted the urge to throw my cupcake at him. "Nope. Nothing. Sorry."

I was just about to turn around and hunt for another seat like I should have done in the first place when the weird man's voice stopped me in my tracks. "This is your usual seat, am I correct?"

"Er…?" I looked at him incredulously. He waited for an answer, holding a fork delicately with his thumb and index finger. _What the… _

"Well, yeah. That _is_ my usual seat." I agreed grudgingly. He nodded, satisfied, and took a big bite of his strawberry shortcake. I persisted. "But how did you know that?"

The pale young man regarded me for a moment, and I realized when I looked down that he wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Simple. After you received your order you headed directly to this seat without hesitation or thought. Also, you kept glaring at the side of my head when you saw that I had already occupied this seat."

"I wasn't glaring." I said defensively. I felt my eyebrows knit together and tried to wipe them smooth.

"And…" He added, as he shoveled more cakes down his mouth.

"Yes?" I raised my eyebrows. _What else could you possibly add to _that?

"I conveniently overheard the gentleman at the cash register say it." He admitted, biting into a vanilla cupcake. I smiled, briefly wondering what kind of guy referred to Mitsu as a "gentleman". Most would call him a dork, since that was what he looked like on the outside. Hell, even _I _called him a dork, and I was a close friend of his.

"You know I was seriously considering being impressed by your deduction, but I take it all back." I said sarcastically.

"That is indeed regretful. Maybe I had done better not to mention it," The guy said, and I found myself smiling at his cheek. _The nerve of this guy. _

There was a short, awkward silence wherein I had just enough time to note that I looked the perfect part of an idiot, standing there holding a freakin' tray. "Well, my food is getting cold. I better go," I said lamely, and tried for a smile. "Sorry for glaring at you."

"That is quite alright. No real harm done, after all." He responded, then turned back to his table. Only now did I notice the piles of sweets, cakes and pastries that were piled on top of it. They were practically overflowing onto the floor. What'd he do, buy ten pieces of every treat they make here?

That would have cost me my entire bank account. Man, this guy must be stuffing his face in cash…

"Would you like to join me?" Once again the guy's inquiring voice reached my ears, and I found out that he had seen me glancing incredulously at his bounty of sweets. I mentally face-palmed.

_Great Hana, now he thinks you want to freeload off his food. _

"Thanks for asking, but no. I couldn't." I cast my eyes about to look for some other unoccupied seat, and managed instead, to look at the young man. He was observing me with those large dark eyes, and I found myself thinking that he looked kind of…cute. Wait! No. What the fuck?

"I insist," The not-cute guy persisted, but I only shook my head.

_No, no. Eating with weird strangers was not part of my agenda when I visited this place. _

"No, really," He said encouragingly, waving me over with a thin, long-fingered hand. "I feel bad for taking your usual seat and the least I could do is let you sit with me. Since it is in fact _me _who is trespassing."

_It ain't _my _bakery, you know. _

"Okay, then." I decided that it wouldn't do any harm, and besides my food was going to get cold if I didn't eat it soon. The cupcakes were speaking to me.

"Ah…er, thanks for letting me sit," I said embarrassingly, and sat down on the chair across from him, laying down my tray on what little space was left on the table.

"No problem." He replied, already happily munching on a shortbread cookie as if he wasn't choked by the weirdness of it all. I, on the other hand, was treated with a front row seat to a demonstration of how weird my snack date was.

The guy's feet were drawn up to his chest, something I had already noticed. He held things differently too…and he shoveled food down his throat like there was no tomorrow. But when you looked at his physique, he was actually extremely thin…thin, but fit. Huh. So he had the appetite of a wild bear, but had the body of someone who had a diet consisting mainly of celery stalks. Talk about unfair.

I chewed on a piece of my cinnamon roll. There wasn't any sound for a whole seven minutes but the two of us chewing and alternately sipping our beverages (he had coffee. I thought it was regular coffee before I saw him dump practically a bucket of sugar cubes into it).

I was on my second cinnamon roll when he spoke.

"Forgive me if I'm being too forward, but may I know your name? I find it odd that we are eating together and I haven't even asked for your name. I promise I won't use it to blackmail you or anything." He added, the slightest trace of amusement tainting his grave tone.

I tried not to look so tense after that.

"Matsuda Akahana," I responded, between a mouthful of cinnamon. I thought I saw his eyebrows rise just a bit at the mention of my name, but I shrugged it off. "But most people call me Hana. And you are?"

"Rue. Rue Ryuuzaki." He responded.

"Odd name," I said, before realizing I had said it out loud. Mentally, I cursed myself. I had always been the type of person who spoke the first thing that came to mind, and this time that trait had come back to bite me in the ass. What kind of retard says to a person they have just met that their name is odd? Me, apparently.

To my surprise, Ryuuzaki merely nodded, thumb on his lips. "Yes, I suppose it is. You go to…Daikoku Private Academy, don't you?"

I briefly wondered how he knew that, then I realized I was still wearing my school uniform. Duh. I hadn't had time to change or even go home after school because I would have missed the bus to get here. Still, it was pretty impressive he knew the name of the school just by the uniform.

"Yep." I nodded. "4th year student. How about you, Ryuuzaki-san?"

"I am also a fourth year student. I attend Yokohama International School."

I nodded. I had heard of that school. It was supposed to be pretty dang expensive there. "That's far from here, isn't it?"

Ryuuzaki nodded, but didn't elaborate. I came to the conclusion that this guy was stinking filthy rich. How else would he have come all the way here from somewhere near Yokohama International, and how else would he have afforded all of these cakes and pastries?

But then again, why did he dress like he had just rolled out of bed? In a rumpled long-sleeved shirt and pants that looked like they had never met an iron in their life.

_Although, I guess, it is kind of refreshing. He obviously doesn't put much store to appearances. Maybe he isn't so bad after all. _

"Let's play a little game, Matsuda-san," Ryuuzaki piped up suddenly. Interrupted out of my train of thought, I only nodded.

"A simple get to know each other game. One of us will ask a question about a topic, but you have to base that topic on the first letter of the pastry of your choice. Understood?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Excellent. I'll go first." Ryuuzaki looked over the table, combing it with his dark eyes before stopping in front of a sponge cake and taking a bite.

"So," he said while chewing, drawing his thumb to his lips like a child. "Sponge cake. S. Hmm….secrets. Tell me something about you that no one, or very few people know."

I immediately protested. "That's not fair," I pouted. "You get to ask personal questions right from the start."

"Well, I never said you couldn't ask personal questions, Matsuda-san," Ryuuzaki blinked innocently at me.

I groaned. "Alright. Alright. Well…when I was seven years old, I accidentally set fire to my brother's hamster, Mr. Chummy. To this day, he still thinks that it was some sort of freak accident." To be fair, it wasn't a _very_ good secret. Not even slightly scandalous (except for maybe the fact that I burned a hamster alive)… but it was the only secret I had.

Oh yes, I live a very kick-ass life.

Ryuuzaki pondered this, upper lip twitching. "What kind of idiotic name is Mr. Chummy?" was the only thing he said.

"The kind of idiotic name only my brother would have thought of." I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically. "It was too bad, really. He was awfully attached to Mr. Chummy."

"Ahh…" Ryuuzaki said, a smirk of amusement on his face. "Well, now I know that Matsuda-san has committed arson at the age of seven. See! We're getting to know each other."

"That's just stupid, I did _not _commit arson. I was simply playing with matches and the wood stuff in his cage was too close and caught fire." I protested, grinning.

"I am more inclined to believe that you have a dark hatred against hamsters," Ryuuzaki shook his head.

"Ah, well who cares what you believe." I said, waving it away. "And anyways, it's my turn."

I stopped in front of the plate of chocolate chip cookies, grabbed one, and swallowed it whole.

"Chocolate chip cookies…C…C for crushes." I had no idea why I said that, it was just the first thing that popped into mind. I thought I saw a dot of pink on Ryuuzaki's cheeks, but when I looked closer it was the same pale color.

"So, my question is…aha! What do you look for in a girl, Ryuuzaki-san?" I asked cheerfully, grinning when I his face flushed a really deep red. _Aw, geez, I love embarrassing people. _

"What do I look for in a girl?" Ryuuzaki repeated. "I guess…I never really thought about it…well, I guess she would have to be kind. And interesting. And genuine. And she would have to be someone I could trust. And she would have to know how to make me laugh."

"_You've never really thought about it?_" I choked on my laughter, and his face turned three shades of red. It went with his hair.

"I have just decided: Matsuda-san is evil." Ryuuzaki deadpanned. I laughed maniacally for a few seconds before stopping because people had started shooting me _look-it's-the-devil _looks.

"That's what they all say," I made a swatting motion with my hand.

The game went on.

"B. Books. What are your favorite books?"

"I think you're going to be disappointed, Ryuuzaki-san. I'm quite shallow when it comes to books. Well…The Hunger Games…everything by Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, everything by Jane Austen, Crime and Punishment…there are more but we'd be here all day."

"F. Food. Favorite food?"

"I am fond of sweets. Actually, sweets are about the only thing I eat. I'm especially attached to anything with strawberries."

"I can see that." I said, grinning in amusement.

By the end of our little game (where I had actually had a lot of fun), I had found out that Ryuuzaki had read lots of books, he didn't see the point in wearing shoes and disliked wearing socks, and he had never eaten carrots. Ever.

"I don't see how you manage to stay so thin." I teased him, mock-scowling. "It's hardly fair to the rest of us. When we eat pounds and pounds of calories, you see, Ryuuzaki, it usually _shows._"

"Well, it's because the brain burns off almost all of the body's calories." Ryuuzaki muttered. "And I like to think that I use my brain a lot."

"…There was an insult in there somewhere." I said suspiciously. "Where do you live, anyway? I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever seen you in this bakery."

"I live in Shibuya. You are correct, this is the first time I have gone to this particular bakery…though I've visited numerous, I can honestly say there is something unique about this one."

"Mmhm…" I tried my best to agree with my mouth full of cinnamon.

Ryuuzaki nodded gravely. "There's a certain lethargic quality in the atmosphere that makes you never want to leave…Wouldn't you say, Matsuda-san?"

I swallowed the cinnamon with difficulty. "That's exactly what I always think when of I come here! This place has a kind of mood that makes you want to eat, look out the window and just _be_." I babbled.

"That's why this is my favorite bakery in all of Kanto," I said excitedly. "Not that I've ever been to many, but…."

Ryuuzaki looked at me in amusement.

I backtracked, feeling my own face heat up. "Well…yeah. In fact, I used to go here with my brother all of the time."

The past tense didn't faze him. "_Used_ to? Is this the brother whose hamster you so cruelly burned?"

"I told you, it was an _accident_. Yeah, he's my only brother. And we haven't been going here for a while,"

"Is he alright?" Ryuuzaki asked cautiously. I realized that my use of the words '_used to go here_' might have implied that my brother was dead.

"Oh, no, he's not dead or anything," I considered that thought. "Which is a miracle in itself. But he's a member of the NPA and he's been really busy during these past few months, so we haven't had time to ourselves. Some big case he's working on, apparently."

Ryuuzaki, who had been in the middle of chewing on a strawberry pastry, suddenly choked on it.

"Are you alright?" I asked. Apparently he had had the misfortune to choke on an abnormally big strawberry pastry, judging by the fact that he had turned three different colors and was clutching at his throat like he was trying to strangle himself. I didn't know whether to laugh or to slowly edge away.

_Don't sit there having mind monologues. Do something! _I considered hitting him on the back with my tray, but Ryuuzaki suddenly took a deep breath, and nodded, indicating he was fine. I handed him a glass of water.

"Thank you," He said after taking a sip out of it. _You're awfully composed for a man who almost choked on a pastry. Wanna try it again?_

"Something got stuck in my throat. I'm sorry," Ryuuzaki said, the faintest of pink apparent on his cheeks. He dunked more sugar cubes into his coffee and then took a sip, trying to mask his embarrassment.

"It's fine. Don't apologize to me; I wasn't the one who nearly got killed by a pastry." I snickered, grinning.

"Matsuda-san….must you rub it in, so?" Ryuuzaki looked at me reproachfully, frowning a little. "My pride has already taken a hit, it is not required for you to stab at it viciously."

I laughed. He sounded like a five year old with a really good vocabulary.

"I know. I'm sorry," I said, trying not to laugh and mostly failing. I had no idea what was so funny. Maybe it was the fact that he had looked so childish just a moment ago. Or maybe it was because I was actually having fun with a stranger I had met less than an hour ago. Or maybe simply because it was a beautiful, snowy day. One of those.

Ryuuzaki looked at me like I was insane. But maybe by the combined effort of my snorting and the fact that I had accidentally bent down the table a little too much and ended up with a cheesecake on my forehead, a small chuckle escaped Ryuuzaki's lips. Unfortunate, really, because I needed only _that_ small sign of mirth to laugh even harder.

After a few minutes, I finally managed to stop giggling by stuffing my last vanilla cupcake into my mouth.

"You've killed the cheesecake," Ryuuzaki said, mock-horrified, as he swept a pale hand across the table and unstuck the offending object from my forehead.

"I'm sorry cheesecake," I said with a snort, grabbing a few napkins and wiping at my forehead.

"Here, let me," Ryuuzaki said quietly, reaching over with a tissue.

Suddenly, a phone rang. I watched curiously as Ryuuzaki retreated, fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a phone.

_He really does hold things weird_, I thought as he pulled the phone up with his thumb and index finger. Somehow I found it kind of endearing.

"Hm? Yes? I'm at a bakery right now." Ryuuzaki shifted in his seat, and I busied myself with eating a strawberry meringue cake.

There was a small pause. "I see. Alright. I'll see you outside in a few minutes."

He actually sounded kind of disappointed. I wondered what the call was all about. My black-haired companion sighed and turned to face me.

Embarrassingly, I was in the middle of shoving cake in my mouth and I probably didn't look all that dignified. _Ah, hell. _

"Ish eshrthig awleeght?" I tried to ask, with my mouth full of strawberries.

Ryuuzaki looked mildly amused and mildly disturbed. "Yes. That was my uncle. Something just came up—family business."

In response to my inquisitive look, he clarified, words flowing smooth and without hesitation. "My uncle's biological daughter has just gotten engaged and they are calling in the entire family to interrogate her future husband. I actually feel a little pity for him."

"Oh." I chuckled lamely and tried to keep the disappointment coloring my tone.

"I'm really sorry, Matsuda-san," Ryuuzaki said. "But I must go."

"No, no, that's fine. Go easy on the poor man and, if isn't too forward, give your sister my congratulations," I grinned. Ryuuzaki immediately nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. _He really should smile more often_, I thought absently. _Wait…what? No. In no way am I implying that he looks cuter when he smiles…right, he's plenty cute already. _

What. Is. Happening. To. Me?

"She will be happy." He said simply. "Thank you for gracing me with your presence today, Matsuda-san—it's been a real pleasure."

I had no idea why I suddenly didn't want to say goodbye to this weird young man who spoke so darn formally.

"I had an awesome time too," I said lamely, standing up as he did. For a minute there, we lapsed into an awkward pre-goodbye silence before Ryuuzaki offered me his hand. I realized I was supposed to shake it.

_Were you thinking of bringing it home as a souvenir?_

"I guess I'll see you around, Matsuda-san." Ryuuzaki said, looking at me with those black eyes as we dropped our hands. _Yeah, not likely. You'll probably be on your own merry way, and I'll go mine, and we'll forget about each other after a few months. _

And that was actually the sad part. Damn it, why? Why was I so unwilling to let go of this guy?

"Call me Hana." I said impulsively. "All my friends call me that."

His eyes widened a little at the implication, but then his face went blank. "Then does that mean that I am your friend?"

I swallowed dryly. "I like to think so."

"You are my first friend, Hana-chan." Ryuuzaki admitted thoughtfully. "I must admit, it felt better than I thought it would. I guess I'll see you around then, Hana-chan."

"Thanks for sitting on my usual seat." I said jokingly, trying to prolong the moment. "And thanks for sharing your sweets."

_What I really want to say is I want to see you again._

"The pleasure was all mine." Ryuuzaki turned around and began shuffling away. I looked at his back helplessly, no idea what to do.

"And Hana-chan?" Ryuuzaki suddenly looked back at me. There was a smile sweeter that any of the things he ate on his face. "Thank you for spending the afternoon with me."

I mentally swore as I leaned in over to give him a hug. _Why do you have to be so dang adorable? _

-L!-

Watari cast a glance at the rearview mirror. L had on a sweet, goofy smile that he was visibly trying to suppress. And mostly failing.

"You seem to be in an awfully good mood, Master Ryuuzaki," Watari chuckled. "I suppose the treats in the bakery were all delicious?"

"Yes," L said. "But she was by far, the sweetest."

The sound of skidding brakes.

"...Watari you almost hit that tour bus."

"I apologize, Master Ryuuzaki...did you say _she?_"

"...I did not mean it in that way, Watari. Please get your mind out of the gutter."

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><p>…<strong>.AHAHAHAAHHAHAH! Me likeys the ending. Muahahahaha. Sorry if L is OOC! I just <strong>_**had **_**to make him do that ^_^. **

**Wooh! I edited this for an hour and a half and the output is totally different from the first one…I like this one better. ^_^ **

**Anyways, thanks so much for reading and please don't forget to review! Second chapter will be out soon! **

**Reviewers get a Mello plushie and a customary free Cadbury bar and a Beretta! He has absolutely nothing to do with this chapter, but c'mon…he's Mello…**

**Hope ya liked reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**THIS IS THE SECOND VERSION OF THE SECOND CHAPTER. I know this is getting annoying (this is the second time I've uploaded a second version of a chapter), but I really, really like this version of chapter 2 better. Hope you guys take the time to read it, but if you don't, then it's okay ^_^. **_

**Er…hi? **

**-ducks flying tomatoes and gets hit by a rock-**

**I know, I know. This update is so dang late, it's not even funny. I'm really, really sorry minna! **

**It's just that this week all of my teachers have been scheduling quiz after quiz like it's some sort of race, so I had to write this chapter piece by piece because I didn't have enough time each night. **

**So, anyway…hope you guys don't kill me. Because if you start pulling out machine guns with my name on it, I'll have to use L as a human shield. And you guys wouldn't want _that _now would you?**

**L: I am seriously rethinking all of my suspicions. You are clearly Kira. **

**Me: *stuffs candy in his mouth* **

**On a lighter note, thanks to everyone who reviewed and story-alerted so far! It means the world to me. ****J**

**So here is the long overdue chapter two! Hope you guys enjoy reading, and I promise I'll update faster next time! **

**P.S.: The start of this chapter is the entrance ceremony for the To-Oh University passers. I know, pretty big time skip…anyways, hope you like reading. Review, minna! ^^**

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><p>The giant banner was strung between two posts, exposing the words to the winter air. Sunlight glistened on the block letters.<p>

**Welcome, To-Oh Freshmen!**

It wasn't anything special, but I wanted to tear off that banner right now and hang it in my room.

I grinned, breathing in slowly and taking in my new surroundings. Our car had pulled up in front of the school's ceremony hall, which was roughly the color of peaches lined with blocks of chocolate. Or maybe that was just my stomach talking.

The wide expanse of the lawn was white and wet from last night's rain and today's snow. Iron cast benches dotted the lawn here and there, their use marred by the fact that they were half-buried in snow.

Maybe because the entrance ceremony was about to start fifteen minutes from now, I could already see lots of students and their families milling all over the place. A few of my classmates, who had pooled in a group along the sidelines, waved their 'hello's' to me. I grinned and waved back.

_Damn this place is big_, I thought, bemused as I looked at all the other buildings surrounding the lawn. How did they expect us to find our way to our classes here? We'd all practically have to draw our own maps.

Trying to clear my head, I cast a weird look at my family, who were all staring at me like any time I might have some sort of manic emotional breakdown.

"Mom, Dad, Touta," I sighed, rubbing at my forehead in exasperation. "I love you all but—quit staring at me like that's, it's freaking me out."

Well, who in their right mind wouldn't be freaked out if their family was looking at them the way you might look at a baby chick two seconds before pushing it out the nest?

My mom laughed, then started sniffling. _See, this is why I don't get parents. They keep yelling at you to grow up and when you finally take their advice and _do _grow up, they inexplicably start crying_. 

"Sorry sweetie." My mom let out a weird sound that was something of a cross between a snort and a snuffle. "You'll have to excuse your mom, kiddo. It's just that our baby's growing up." My dad grinned, bending down and ruffling my hair.

"Aww…" Touta grinned, then paused, smiling cheerily.

"Well, at least nobody'll put spiders in the back of my shirt anymore….and no one will put weird stuff in my food when I'm not looking."

It was amazing really, how fast my mom stopped crying and started glaring after Touta said that.

"How can you be so insensitive to your sister? She's going away to college and you're practically celebrating over it. Touta! I expected more from you." Mom said sternly. Then she turned to face me. _Eep. _"And _you_, young lady! What did Touta mean by you putting questionable substances into his food when he wasn't looking?"

"..."

"…"

My mom growled. "Answer me, both of you!"

"GROUP HUG!" Touta and I yelled, grabbing mom and dad and sort of squishing all of us together.

_They just don't make group hugs like they used to, _I groaned silently, as we broke away. I rubbed at the top of my head where my dad's chin had hit me pretty hard.

"You guys," My dad said, wincing as he rubbed his jaw. "The next time you try to force a group hug, try not to give everyone a concussion, alright?"

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Matsuda!"

I looked around and grinned. Two of my closest friends, Kiyomi and Tamara were standing a few feet away from us, waving enthusiastically.

"We were just wondering if Hana would like to join us and a few of our classmates. We're reminiscing about the old days," Kiyomi said dryly.

"I think they forgot about you," I sniggered quietly to Touta, when neither Kiyomi nor Tamara moved to greet him. He turned red and muttered a curse word, further reinforcing my suspicion that he actually had a crush on Kiyomi. I didn't really think he'd like Tamara since she was already taken by Light Yagami (it's wholly one-sided though)…

"Hi Kiyomi, Tamara." My mom smiled warmly at my friends. "Sure, Hana would love to join you. We've been suffocating her with our hugs and tears ever since she received the acceptance letter, so I know she's dying for some time with her friends…But remember girls, the program starts in ten minutes."

"Yes, Mrs. Matsuda," Tamara said mischievously, studiously avoiding my gaze. Smart of her, because I was now trying to drill holes into her skull by the use of my eyes alone. "We'll get Hana to the program in time."

"Why is everybody talking about me as if I'm not here?" I complained to thin air, when Kiyomi grabbed my arm and started to drag me away.

I caught a last glimpse of my family laughing and waving at me before we went around a tree and I lost sight of them.

"Mind telling me where you're kidnapping me?" I asked Kiyomi mildly.

"Just go with it, Hana." Kiyomi laughed. "Come on, it'll be nice to get some time to hang out with all our former classmates."

Well, I didn't get any say in the matter anyway. Before I knew it we had stopped in front of three groups of benches grouped in the west side of the lawn.

A lot of my former classmates were already sitting there, talking and laughing. Some faces I recognized, others had to reintroduce themselves to me. Those people I had forgotten looked kind of offended.

_It's not you, it's me, _I felt like saying. _I have the memory span of a goldfish. _

After the customary greetings and hugs, I was finally able to sit down on one of the benches. The air wasn't too chilly, but it was crisp, and I pulled my sweater tighter around me.

My mind wandered and I let it, effectively blocking out the chatter of the others around me.

It had been two weeks after I had received the letter of acceptance from To-Oh and I still couldn't completely believe that I had passed.

_Maybe the people who had checked the answers in my exam were drunk…I vividly remember not knowing half of the questions in that test. _

_But that doesn't matter anymore, because I'm actually _here. I grinned at this thought, letting out a soft laugh. If I had been anywhere else and with anyone else, they would have stared at me like I was insane.

As it was, every person here was riding off the same high I was. My little grin and laugh were commonplace. Almost all of the students who were here were walking around with gleeful, dazed expressions. We all looked remarkably stupid for the top 150 To-Oh University passers, come to think of it.

"THE ONLY MAIN REPRESENTATIVE IS LIGHT-KUN!" The shrill scream of combined voices reached my ears, snapping me out of my thoughts. The feeling was kind of similar to being underwater for a while and getting used to it, only to have someone yank you suddenly up to the shore.

_What are these crazy lunatics talking about? _I turned over to Tamara, who would most likely know what we were now talking about because I had a sneaking suspicion she had been one of the screaming people. "What are they talking about?"

Tamara sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly Hana, you're hopeless. Where have you been these past five minutes? They're talking about the main freshmen representatives."

"Kachiro says there are two, but that's impossible." Tamara said, a little irritated as if she couldn't quite believe he didn't know that. "Only _Light-kun_ could have perfected all the exams! He's handsome, and brave, and _so _nice, and…"

Kiyomi shot me a look and said, mock-regretfully. "We've lost her."

I snorted, waving my hand. "Nah. We lost her five years ago when Light handed her English book back to her after she'd purposely dropped it to get a look at his butt."

I cleared my throat awkwardly, noticing that everyone's gaze had shot straight to me.

_Note to self. Do not use words 'Light Yagami' and 'butt' in the same sentence. _

"No!" Kachiro insisted, tugging everyone's attention away from me and back to him. "There's another representative, I'm sure of it! His name is Ryuuga Hideki."

…Who, the pop idol?

"My uncle was the one who told me. He made the program. And besides, Light isn't the _only _genius in Kanto, you know."

I looked at him incredulously. _He's either really brave….or really, really stupid._

"There are _loads _of people as smart, if not _smarter _than—"

I bent down and whispered; "You, uh…better back off before they eat you,"

"Well it's true!" Kachiro insisted, trying to sound as if he wasn't at all scared. He wasn't fooling anyone, there were visible beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

The reasons for Kachiro's sudden anxiety were obvious, numerous, and not terribly happy about their idol being degraded to a mere man.

Light's fangirls were all looking particularly murderous about that bit Kachiro had said about Light not being the only genius in Kanto. Clearly, they believed Light was the only genius in the Milky Way Galaxy, the rest could go to hell.

_This debate's going to last for a while,_ I sighed. I leaned back and rested my elbows onto the back of the bench, breathing in the sharp, chilly gusts of air. I combed the visible parts of the lawn from my vantage point with a lazy gaze.

My stare slid across the snow-topped trees, stopping on the hardly visible rose bushes. Yawning, I cast a cursory glance at a bench on the northeast corner of the lawn. Curiously, I peered, trying to get a better look.

There was definitely a guy sitting on that bench. I squinted. He was unnaturally pale, with unruly, spiky black hair. And he was sitting….no, _perching_ on the bench, and—

_This description is sounding eerily familiar. Wait a second. _My eyes widened.

_That's not…no…that's…._

_Ryuuzaki? _

"Look, there he is," Kachiro's fuzzy voice swam into my ears. "That guy's Ryuuga Hideki."

Then he pointed straight at Ryuuzaki.

-L!-

_Ryuuzaki lied to me about his name. _

I kept this thought running through my head, trying to make sense of it. I couldn't. No matter which way I turned it, I still didn't know what motive Ryuuzaki could possibly have for lying to me.

_Huh. Well, who knows what else he's lied about? Maybe he's a woman, too. _

Blinking at the sheer ridiculousness of the thought, I tried to calm myself down, tried to make sense of my surroundings. It was surprisingly dark in the gymnasium, and everyone was stepping on everyone else.

Distractedly, my mind flashed to what had happened five minutes earlier.

After getting over the initial shock of seeing Ryuuzaki (my weird snack date, the sweet-loving, panda-wannabe _Ryuuzaki _in freaking _To-Oh_) wore off, I was immediately swamped with confusion. Kachiro had made a mistake. _Clearly_ he'd made a mistake, because Ryuuzaki's name was not Ryuuga Hideki. How did Kachiro get into this school, anyway?

Anyway. I don't know what had compelled me to get up and approach Ryuuzaki to ask him myself what the hell was going on, but that was what I did.

Ignoring my friend's questions about where I was headed, I had taken all of ten steps towards him when his eyes had questioningly met mine.

They black, bottomless pools had seemed to brighten just the tiniest bit, before he suddenly seemed to remember something and his finger made its way to his lips. _Sssh. _

Unfortunately, I had hesitated out of confusion long enough for my dad, who apparently had been looking for me, to locate and drag me away because the darn program was about to start.

And now I couldn't see hide nor hair of Ryuuzaki. In fact, I couldn't see _anything_. Why was this auditorium so _dark_?

Cursing, I stumbled onto my chair. I faced front, training my withering glare to a potted plant and trying to think everything over.

It was a given that I didn't know what the hell was going on right now, but I didn't know why I felt so dang _hurt _about it either.

Maybe…maybe it was because that even though we had spent only about an hour and a half together, I had thought Ryuuzaki was my friend. I thought I at least knew him a little bit. And now it turns out that I didn't even know his real stinking name.

_Although when you think about it, Ryuuga Hideki sounds more like an alias than Rue Ryuuzaki. _

I considered this thought, biting at the inside of my cheek. So maybe he hadn't been lying to me, and Ryuuzaki _was _his real name. Still, what reason did he have to go under a fake name? It wasn't like he was a drug dealer or a Mafia lord or something. Right?

The sentence _I ate strawberry shortcakes with a Mafia lord _passed through my mind, and it sounded so ridiculous I immediately dismissed it. I turned my head up front, trying to at least keep up the appearance that I was listening to whoever was speaking.

"And now, please welcome your representatives, Light Yagami and Ryuuga Hideki!"

There was a burst of applause as the two young men took their places on the stage. Whispers immediately started breaking out over the auditorium. I couldn't exactly blame them. Those two were so different looking it was almost comical.

Light Yagami was wearing a tux, looking every bit like the sheltered genius he was. His brown hair was perfectly combed, not a hair out place.

Ryuuzaki's hair, on the other hand, looked like it was trying very hard to escape from his scalp. He was wearing the same kind of clothes he'd worn on the day we'd met: faded blue jeans, a long white-sleeved shirt, and an addition of a pair of untied shoes.

I watched in grudging amusement as his thumb slowly began making its way up to his lips, but realizing that he was onstage, he quickly pulled it down.

I laughed, ignoring the looks my seatmate was giving me. I couldn't help it, he looked so…well, there was no other word for it. Cute.

_Alright, _I exhaled. _This isn't working. I'm supposed to be mad at him. Be mad, Hana. Be mad. _Unfortunately though, I couldn't seem to wipe the stupid grin from my face.

Before I knew it, the program passed by in a blur of over-long speeches and powerpoint presentations about the school and the different classes. Things we already knew, or could easily see in the school's online site.

I pulled myself up from the chair, shaking my sleeping legs. They had finally turned on the lights, and the whole room was buzzing with different, cheerful voices. I swept the auditorium frantically with my eyes, trying to find Ryuuzaki.

_Jackpot!_

I spotted him walking with Light Yagami. A quick wave of irritation heated my senses. _Since when were _those two _such good friends? _

With difficulty, I maneuvered my way through the throng of people, determinedly shoving anyone who got in my way. No way was Ryuuzaki getting out of this one.

"Sorry—excuse me—_dude _get out of my way—"

Finally, after elbowing a guy eating a cheesedog into a giant flower vase, I caught up to them.

"Ryuuz—ah, hell—Ryuuga!"

-L!-

**Light's POV: **

"Ryuuz—ah, hell—Ryuuga!"

At the sound of his name, L turned around. Irritated at the interruption, I looked up and was surprised to see Matsuda Akahana standing behind us. She was a former classmate of mine and I had sat next to her in school a couple of times. As far as I knew, she was one of the two girls in class who weren't totally nuts about me.

I smirked, watching as Akahana tried to catch her breath, hands on her knees.

"Can I—uh, talk to you for a second? Please?" Akahana said to L quickly. She gave me a quick bow. "Hello, Yagami-san."

L hesitated, but nodded after a beat. "Of course. Light, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'll see you around in school."

_I'll see you around in school. _This isn't over yet.

I nodded, accepting the challenge. "Sure. Nice to meet you to, Ryuuga. Oh, and by the way, congratulations for passing the exam, Matsuda-san."

I shot her a charming smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw L's eye twitch.

"Congratulations to you too," She briefly smiled at me, before grabbing L's arm and dragging him away.

I looked at the direction they had taken, my mind taking already thinking of a plan to bring L down.

_Matsuda Akahana, _I thought, smirking. _How deep exactly is your connection to L? _

_-_L!-

**Back to Hana's POV: **_  
><em>

"May I ask where you are abducting me?"

Ryuuzaki's breath drifted down my neck, sending goose bumps spinning on my skin. I felt my face flush red.

_Too close_, I felt like saying._ Personal space, please. One meter away. _

"None of your business." I responded heatedly, then admitted more gently. "I don't know yet."

I think he smiled at this. Great. Now he was making me feel even worse for dragging him around like a sack of potatoes. But he owed me answers.

I pulled him along, looking for somewhere decently hidden where we could have a private conversation. My family and friends were outside, on the lawn, probably waiting for me, so that wasn't an option. So maybe somewhere at the back of the gymnasium…

Absently grinning, I shot a look at Ryuuzaki. He hadn't seemed at all surprised when I had started dragging him away from Light. He had started carrying his own weight though, after I had accidentally maneuvered him into a wall. Wasn't my fault he was so dang heavy.

_Here! _I got an idea and ran into the back exit of the gymnasium. There was a grove of trees just a few feet away from us, and a couple of large boulders. Perfect.

"Come on, we won't be overheard here." I whispered.

We delved into the trees, and I slowly sat down on the ground, trying not to get too much snow onto my clothes. He followed my example, pulling his knees up to his chest. The cold didn't seem to bother him. His eyes bore into my face, curious and…amused?

"I want to know," I began, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. I glared at him as I finished my sentence. "Why everyone seems to be mistaking you for Ryuuga Hideki."

* * *

><p><strong>Not my best work. I edited this four times and I still don't like it -.-'... But still, I hope <em>you<em> liked it! And don't worry, the next chapter will be better. I hope. Feel free to suggest ways I can improve, minna. ****J**

**Reviewers get…uh…Near! **

**Near: You mean a Near _plushie_, Miyu-chan. You simply cannot go around giving people away as bribes—**

**Me: Nope, Near! I HAVE BENT THE PEOPLE TO MY WILL! I am giving away YOU! MWAHAHAHAHA! **

**C'mon, click the green button. You know you want Near. He's like a cute little albino sheep. Or if you don't like Near, I suppose...*whips out a plushie of Ryuk* I'll give you this instead. If you give him an apple, he'll dance!  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Good morning/afternoon/evening in wherever you are! It's now 4: 39 in the afternoon here in the Philippines, if you're curious. **

**Okay, so it's been almost a week and a half since my last update, and I just want to say I am so, so sorry. I seem to have a talent for updating late. I'm sorry, minna! **

**L: Please accept this bribe bag of candy from Miyu-chan! ^_^**

**Me: *peers inside bag*L…why is this bag empty?**

**L: …LIGHT ATE THEM ALL! *runs away***

**Anyways, thank you so MUCH to those who reviewed and story-alerted! I'm really, really sorry for not updating faster. I won't keep you waiting any longer, here is chapter four! Hope you guys like it **

* * *

><p><strong>L'S POV: <strong>_  
><em>

_I have tackled numerous cases, answered questions that have baffled world wide crime organizations, and sent many criminals to jail. But somehow… _

_I do not know how to handle this. _

L cast a pondering look at his companion, who was busy studying his toenails. The air was getting steadily colder and crisper. The snowflakes made their way down, whirling and gently settling onto the ground.

L brought his thumb to his lips in concentration. He knew that he had to answer Hana's question right about now, because the latter's teeth were starting to chatter rather loudly. He had a feeling that if he procrastinated for another five minutes, Hana would start turning blue.

In spite of a potentially frozen Hana Matsuda to explain to the general public, L hesitated, his mind flooded with thought and possibilities.

He did have an answer ready to her question. L wasn't called the world's greatest detective for nothing. While Hana had been busy trying to find a place where their conversation wouldn't be overheard (and dragging him into walls), L had been busy forming what he was going to say.

The story he had come up with was right there lying on the tip of his tongue, waiting for him to voice it out.

_Still…I should never have let it go this far, _L frowned to himself. The minute he had arrived back at the hotel after meeting Hana in the bakery, he should have thought ahead. There had been exactly a three percent chance that Hana would attend To-Oh University, and L had no idea why he had not looked further into it.

But now, well there wasn't anything else he could do but try to keep Hana from growing suspicious of him. He just had to be really careful about what information he divulged to her…

-L!-

**Hana's POV:  
><strong>

My question hung in the air, greeted only by silence. The air was getting colder, and little snowflakes made their way gently down, settling onto the both of us.

_I hope you freeze to death, _I glared at Ryuuzaki's toes. Yeah, right. The cold didn't seem to bother him at all.

_You have no nerve endings, _I crossly told Ryuuzaki's toes once more.

I, on the other hand, was feeling the cold, alright. I had goosebumps on my goosebumps, and I could see my breath going out in little puffs in front of me. Trying to find other details to maybe distract myself from the stupid weather and the fact that the sky seemed intent on burying both me and Ryuuzaki alive with snowflakes, I cast my eyes towards my companion.

We were kind of close. I could see the contrast of the blue jeans to the pale color of his skin. His arms were wrapped around his knees and he was slightly hunched over, like he was in a fetal position or something. My observation stopped at his midriff.

For some reason, I couldn't really look him straight in the eye. Probably it had something to do with the fact that he was five inches from me. I could practically count his eyelashes.

_Why is this relevant…? _

"I'm…" Ryuuzaki's voice finally broke the silence, rousing me out of my thoughts. My eyes snapped up from his toes to his eyes, biting the inside of my cheek.

"I…" Ryuuzaki began again. Adrenaline and uncertainty began to kick in, and I nearly punched him. I settled for waving my hands madly in front of his face.

"Wait a second! Wait!" I exclaimed breathlessly. " Before you tell me who you actually are, I just need to make sure of a couple of things."

Ryuuzaki nodded, looking mystified. "Go ahead, Hana-chan."

I exhaled. _Well, here goes. _"You're probably going to forever cast me off as an idiot for this question, but…. You're not a Mafia overlord are you?"

He shook his head, looking amused.

"Drug dealer?" I tried again, looking at his toes once more.

"No." Ryuuzaki said, the corner of his lips twitching upward.

"Uh…terrorist?" I said quickly, wracking my brain for other types of criminals. "Russian spy? Mass murderer?"

"No, no, and no. Hana-chan, I'm starting to think you that _want _me to be potentially dangerous criminal."

"Wipe that smile of your face." I said, eye twitching. "What's wrong with being cautious? For all I knew you could have been a serial killer who preyed on unsuspecting girls in bakery stores."

"…I'll pretend I didn't hear that. I didn't think you thought so low of me." Ryuuzaki looked kind of offended.

"You know what I mean," I laughed, then tried to mask it by coughing. Unfortunately, it ended up sounding like a cross between a cow giving birth and a motor engine, and Ryuuzaki shot me a look usually reserved for stupid people. _I'll try to pretend I didn't see that._

"No, I do not." Ryuuzaki protested. "You are very unusual, Hana-chan."

"Sorry. Runs in the family," I grinned, and pulled my sweater tighter around my neck, trying block out the stinging cold. I finally took a deep breath and grinded out in a determined tone:

"Who _are_ you?"

"…Me?" Ryuuzaki blinked, his large black eyes the picture of innocence."I'm Rue Ryuuzaki, Hana-chan. I thought we'd already established that two weeks ago."

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated here," I muttered, moving my hand in a swatting motion.

"You _say _you're Rue Ryuuzaki. Well, either I've been having psychotic breaks or everyone here is being pranked, because I'm pretty sure that everybody else has been calling you Ryuuga Hideki since you got here." I said pointedly, crossing my arms.

"Oh, that? Well, that is an alias," Ryuuzaki said simply, eyes boring into mine. I was taken aback at how fast he'd said that. I had expected at least a little more resistance.

"Alright. Ryuuga Hideki is an alias." I nodded. I paused for a moment, then began shaking my head in confusion. "Why the hell would a college student need an alias, Ryuuzaki?"

"…Ah, you look rather nice with your hair in curls, Hana-chan, has anyone ever told you that?"

"And you look rather nice with your head attached to your neck." I said dryly.

"Please stay away from my head." Ryuuzaki cracked a smile, and I felt myself grin as well.

"Alright." Ryuuzaki said, in an amused tone. "You put up a reasonable fight, Hana-chan. You're almost as annoying as someone else I know. I'll answer your question."

_Thanks…I guess._

"I shall tell you why I have an alias. But you have to promise me, Hana-chan: you will not tell anyone else. _No one_, not your family, not your friends. Especially not to people you don't know who may come asking you this piece of information. Understood?"

A strange buzz of anticipation began quickly building up inside of my chest, and I began having second, third and fourth thoughts about all of this. By the time Ryuuzaki had opened his mouth, I didn't know if I should make him speak faster or shove my fist into his mouth.

"I am a vampire."

Ryuuzaki's eyes had gone very wide and he had leaned close so that we were practically nose to nose. "And I wish _to kill you_."

Silence.

"…You are supposed to scream right about now, Hana-chan."

"That was an epic fail, Ryuuzaki." I began laughing, shaking my head in disbelief. "I can't believe you just did that—"

"Hmm…well, maybe that is true," L said thoughtfully, his thumb on his lips. "Regardless. You seem to like decimating my pride into little cubes."

"It's turning into a hobby of mine," I said mockingly, smiling. "And you're going to have to put up with it, seeing as we're going to be attending the same school. And I intend to bug you a lot."

Ryuuzaki smiled—a real, big one this time. "I look forward to it, Hana-chan. Now, let's stop with the fun and games and get started."

I blinked. I'd never heard him talk like that before. _So he dresses like a slob, thinks like a genius, and talks like a businessman in Regency England. _

Ryuuzaki chewed on the top of his thumb thoughtfully before saying:

"My uncle from my mother's side was an FBI agent."

I nodded, digesting the information and wondering what the hell it had to do with our current predicament.

"Where is he now?" I asked curiously.

"He's dead. Actually, it would be more correct to say that he was murdered. By Kira." Ryuuzaki said in a soft, matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm sorry…" I murmured, reaching out a hand to pat him on the back, but withdrawing it at the last second. I was rubbish at comforting people. And animals. And everything else that moved. "But…Ryuuzaki, what does this have to do with anything?"

"I'll get to that. Please do not interrupt when I am talking, Hana-chan. It disrupts my train of thought."

I sweat-dropped, and mock-saluted him. "As you wish, sir. Go ahead."

Ryuuzaki looked mildly amused for a second, then went back to explaining. "Where was I before you so rudely interrupted…? Ah, yes. My uncle was actually one of the 12 FBI agents who were sent to Japan to investigate Kira."

"I heard about that," I responded, narrowing my eyes as I tried to remember. It had been in the news a couple of weeks ago. "Kira killed all twelve of them, right? With heart attacks?"

"Yes. Kira killed them all. It was not the first time he'd taken an innocent life, though," Ryuuzaki looked amused for a moment as he reached out his hand and brought my arm down.

Swearing, I felt my face heat up. Apparently, while I had been talking, I had subconsciously raised my hand like I was reciting in class.

"You may not raise your hand when saying something, Hana-chan. We are not in a classroom."

_Yeah, well. You have that effect on people_, I thought.

Ryuuzaki brought his thumb to his lips and continued. "His name was Rey Penber. He came to Japan with his fiancée, Naomi Misora."

There wasn't a stop to his story, he didn't hesitate or stutter. I decided he was telling the truth this time. Nobody could lie _that _well, right?

"He was assigned to ten people suspected of being Kira and he was tasked to do a thorough investigation on them. He would follow them wherever they went and note down any actions that seemed suspicious."

"Did he find out anything?" I asked curiously, twisting a piece of a branch between my finger tips. My companion nodded.

"The FBI officials believe that my uncle may have possibly found sufficient evidence to pinpoint Kira through investigating the ten suspects. _I'm _thoroughly convinced he had found Kira."

"Well, why didn't he tell the authorities so we could catch that asshole once and for all—oh, wait." I grinned apologetically at Ryuuzaki's pointed stare. "I'm not supposed to interrupt. Okay. Carry on, then."

Ryuuzaki shook his head, slightly exasperated, before going back to explaining.

"I believe, Hana-chan that my uncle hadn't told anyone because he hadn't _known _he'd found Kira. See, after he had investigated all of the suspects assigned to him, he declared none of them guilty. An important detail, one mistake must have gotten past him."

_Then how can you say he _found _Kira? _I thought, mystified. _What proof do you have? _

"Then after eight days, just two more days until he could go back to the United States, he died of a heart attack outside the Shinjuku platform, after exhibiting odd behavior. We know that Kira can control the victim's actions before they die, and this must have been what happened to my uncle."

"This means that during those weeks he was investigating the ten suspects, he had accidentally _found_ Kira, and he hadn't even known it. Because if he hadn't, then why else would Kira kill him?" Ryuuzaki gritted his teeth, then shook his head.

"Kira somehow knew he was being investigated and feeling that his identity was in danger, decided to get rid of my uncle, possibly not knowing that he was no longer a suspect. Kira waited a few days as to allow Penber to investigate other people, and then he killed him. And all those other FBI agents as well."

Ryuuzaki continued, black eyes boring into mine. "It does not end there. The FBI officials also believe that my uncle had related some events about his investigation to his fiancée, who was an ex FBI agent. They were both interested in the Kira case, and my uncle might have mentioned something in passing which was a clue to Kira's identity."

"Kira, it seems, knew about Naomi and her connection to Rey. And the possibility that Rey had told Naomi something which could pin him as Kira was too great. Naomi went missing for four months and hasn't been found till now. She is presumed dead and I fully believe it is Kira's doing."

I clenched my hands on top of my knees, feeling hatred bubble inside of me. _Bastard. He says he wants to bring justice to the world, and he kills only criminals, but by killing people, he's a criminal himself. _

"Five days before my uncle died, I stayed with him and Naomi for a couple of days. Sometimes the three of us went out and toured the city," Ryuuzaki continued thoughtfully.

"I wanted to become a detective when I was a kid. I actually helped the police firm in my town solve a couple of cases. And like everyone else, I was hooked to the Kira case at that time."

"My uncle never told me anything about his investigation, of course, so I don't know the people whom he was investigating, and thus had no way of knowing who Kira was."

"But FBI officials back in the US think that it's best for my safety to use a fake name. Kira will not take any chances of his identity being found out, and the possibility that he will kill anyone who has had contact with Reye Penber and his wife is too big to ignore,"

"He might decide to finish you off." I concluded, blood running cold. Now it all made sense. All the secrecy, and the lying…But still, going under an alias wasn't enough to ward of that crazy madman's advances. Kira could get Ryuuzaki's name off the net by searching for Rey Penber's relatives, or he could go to Yokohama International and get Ryuuzaki's school records…

Hurriedly, I voiced my thoughts out. "Not that I'm concerned or anything but…are you sure that nobody else knows your name? There might be some former classmates who—"

"Yes, I am positive. My family moved to Japan only six months ago. And by the time that we had settled down enough for me to enroll in Yokohama, my uncle and Naomi had just recently died. The FBI had already instructed for me to go under an alias, so my classmates there know me also as Ryuuga Hideki."

"In fact, that is my real name right now, as far as anyone is concerned." Ryuuzaki said, eyes wide. "It is a good cover. The fact that people mistake me for that pop idol is really the only downside, and it's not much of a downside."

I shrugged, still not that convinced. "Meh. I guess. But are you absolutely _sure _nobody else knows your name? Your secret's safe with me, by the way, but are you absolutely _sure_—"

I was annoying myself at this point. _Why am I pressing this anyway?_

"Your concern is certainly touching, Hana-chan. Extravagant, even." Ryuuzaki suddenly smiled, eyes dancing. "I'd say there's a ten percent chance that you're falling for me."

"_Right_." I said dryly, then promptly hit him with a branch.

"…It's gone up five percent."

_Five percent, huh? _Grinning, I laid my hand on the ground, grabbed a clump of snow, and began shaping it into a ball.

Ryuuzaki looked alarmed and he raised his hand in protest. "Hana-chan, put that snowball down…we are no longer five-year olds, we are young adults, we must act with matur—"

_Splat. _

I gasped, blinking through the slush dripping down my face. I could just make out Ryuuzaki's moving figure. He seemed to be retreating frantically back into the gymnasium.

"Very mature, Ryuuzaki." I called out, half-laughing and half-choking because some of the ice had gone up my nose. Wonderful.

Ryuuzaki made the mistake of peeking at me from behind the exit. "He who strikes first—"

_Thump! _The snowball hit him smack on the nose.

"—wins, I know." I grinned. To-Oh might not be so bad after all.

-L!-

Watari had on a bewildered look as he watched L slide into the car, bringing with him a cold gust of air and some snow. The world's greatest detective stared back at him with large black eyes, as if having a large snow ball sliding off the side of his head was completely normal.

Watari decided not to ask anything. He didn't want to hit any more tour buses today.

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><p><strong>...And there we go! Hope you guys liked it! And I promise, I'll update faster next time. Thank you so much for reading, and I really hope you guys find time to review!<strong>

**P.S.: This has nothing to do with anything, but I'm currently listening to Sara Bareilles "King Of Anything" and I absolutely love it! Go check it out! :)  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Advance merry Christmas! *gives you cookies* ****:-)**

**I'm currently in my pajamas, freezing, while typing this out.**

**I'm really, _really_ sorry for not updating for so dang long minna…what with being buried under exams and projects, and being backed into a corner by old writer's block, I really had no idea what to do with chapter four. **

**I have like five version of this chapter on my computer. And they are all completely horrible -.-'**

**But as a Christmas present to y'all, and also to myself, I decided to try writing again yesterday. It was a little hard, but I tried my best and hopefully this came out okay. *crosses fingers***

**Thanks so much for all those who commented and story-alerted the last chapter! It means so much to me. ^_^ I love y'all like crazy! **

**Hope you enjoy reading! Feel free to tell me what you think minna! **

**P.S.: This chapter starts of with the first day of Hana's class in To-Oh! **

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><p><em>To-Oh was worse than I thought. <em>

My steps pounded along the asphalt walkway, punctuated here and there by the steady drops of rain.

_Stupid alarm clock manufacturers. _

Strands of my hair started falling out of my ski cap, and I swore mentally as the wind began gleefully tossing them into my mouth, like the idea of eating my hair was actually appealing to me.

_How much further…? _I squinted through the snowfall, wondering where the hell I was. _There, the school building's just ahead! _

I picked up my pace as far as it would go, feeling my bag hit my knee insistently with every step, like it was saying _heeey, look at me! I only have two books inside but I weigh like a sack of cement! Isn't that wonderful?_

_Very, _I shot back, half in irritation and half in mild bemusement. I was starting to doubt my sanity. Who, in their right mind has a conversation with their bookbag?

Hoping it'd distract me from going off the deep end, I stomped hurriedly through the snow, feeling my feet sink into the slush with every step.

_Come on, Hana, make like an Eskimo and stomp! _A cheery voice in my head yelled. _Stomp through the snow like it's no one's business! Sto—_

Yelping, I felt my feet slip on a particularly wet patch of grass, and I grabbed onto a snow-covered bench to steady myself.

_Or, you can slip. Slipping works too. _

Exasperatedly, I thought back to what had caused all of this to happen in the first dang place.

I had asked my roommates not to wake me up this morning because I'd set my alarm clock for a time significantly later than theirs. They planned to already be at the courtyard _forty-five minutes_ before classes started.

That can be explained, since I'd gotten stuck in a dorm room full of do-gooders—well, except for Yuri Manabe, who wanted to get up early to get a glimpse of Light Yagami "as he came through the school gates with the wind in his hair".

_…Nyeeh._

Needless to say, about thirty minutes before school started, my roommates were already loitering outside the classroom, while I was still lying in bed sleeping like a log.

And to think I had secretly been laughing evilly at them last night, thinking about how sleep-deprived they all were.

_Past delusions of evil don't matter anymore—it's the present delusions of evil that I need to suppress. I'm almost there, anyway, _I thought, waving it aside.

Sure, my roommates would probably laugh their asses off once they caught sight of me late and dripping wet, but the important thing right now was getting to class. Hopefully before it ended.

_What time is it, anyway? I didn't have time to check that darn clock when I rushed out—oof. _

I had taken all but one triumphant step up to the academic building when something suddenly made impact with my shoulder, causing me to stumble backwards, skid on a leaf, and land on my ass.

"Oh, wonderful day," I muttered to myself, seriously considering clobbering the person who had run me over. _I have this bag that weighs like a freaking bedrock, and I'm not afraid to use it!_

The first thing I saw as I trained my withering glare upwards was a pair of faded blue jeans hanging slightly over untied shoes. There was only one person in the whole of the Kanto area who dressed like that…

_Ryuuzaki…? What the hell? _

Wide, black-rimmed eyes that looked like they hadn't met sleep in a long time. Skin that was almost as pale as the snow. And unruly black hair that looked like vaguely like it was alive… _Yep, this is Ryuuzaki, all right._

A small grin began to spill on my face, for some reason, and I hastily tried to wipe it away. Who smiles when they're knocked down to the ground, anyway?

"I'm truly sorry for…" Ryuuzaki's black eyes widened as he realized the idiot sitting in a puddle was actually me. All advances at an apology retreated. "Hana-chan? May I ask you what you're doing on the ground?"

"I think I should be asking you, since you ran over me with your shoulder," I snorted, bracing my hands against the ground to get up. I did a sort of wiggle maneuver to hopefully propel myself up, but it wasn't working so far.

Ryuuzaki had on a blank expression reminiscent of _what the hell is this lunatic doing? _

He offered me his hand, and I took it, hoisting myself up. His grasp was warm and gentle, but it had a sort of surprising strength in it.

_It feels kind of nice, in a Ryuuzaki kind of way. _I thought briefly.

I then realized exactly what I was implying, then released his hand like it was made out of hot coal.

"Is that so? I thought I had just hit a branch." Ryuuzaki blinked, bemused. He obviously hadn't noticed the frantic way I had let go of his arm. Good.

_…A branch? _I turned back to our conversation, eyes wide in bemusement. _He's comparing me to a branch? _

"It certainly wasn't my intention to knock you over—I'm sorry." Ryuuzaki's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks," I said. "So what are you doing here? You know, asides from plowing into innocent bystanders."

_Shouldn't this guy be in class? Like me? _

"Ah, well..." Ryuuzaki said matter-of-factly, his thumb finding its way to his lips. "…I am also late."

…

I pointed a finger at his nose, letting out a few snorts of mirth.

"You are _without a doubt_ the worst freshman representative this school has ever seen," I deadpanned, paused, then started tugging at his arm.

"I can't discriminate you properly since technically, I'm late too, so let's not waste any more time talking! Come on, we might just make it before class ends…hopefully…"

"Somehow I don't think that's probable, Hana-chan," Ryuuzaki said, his eyes betraying a small hint of mischief. "It is now 8:58, Hana-chan. Classes end in two minutes,"

He continued, thumb thoughtfully making its way to his lips, black eyes wide. "To possibly make you feel better, that class was just an introductory class. Nothing of immediate importance was discussed, maybe just the class schedules…Hana-chan…Hana-chan, stop hyperventilating."

I whacked at my chest with my fist, and took a deep, shuddering breath. "You mean I—panicked—_ran_—jumped down two flights of stairs—missed breakfast—and landed in a puddle—for nothing?"

"It does seem that way…" Ryuuzaki said, a tint of amusement in his tone. I resisted the urge to strangle him and settled for giving him a death glare, hoping I'd fry a few of his brain cells in the process.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, panda boy."

"Mature," Ryuuzaki murmured, his eyes lighting up a little with mirth. "I will give you that."

"I'll have you know, I'm perfectly mature. Thank you very much," I sniffed, slightly offended. Then I bonked him on the head with my bookbag.

"HAHA! Who's mature now, _eh_?"

-L!-

Light treaded down the staircase, absently adjusting his bag. The first class had just ended and according to his schedule, he had a free period next.

_Maybe I'll head over to the coffee shop I saw earlier…I didn't have time to eat this morning…_

"You know, call me weird but the constant stream of obsessive girls following you around is sort of giving me the chills," Ryuuk complained in a raspy voice, casting his suspicious eyes behind him. "And _I'm _not even the one they're stalking. They look like they want to eat you alive."

Light ignored the shinigami's remark and continued walking down the steps as if nothing happened. Ryuuk snorted, a bit offended at being treated like air again.

Why was it always like this? Why was Light always _ignoring _him, as if Ryuuk was nothing more than a particularly scary-looking bat creature who happened to just follow him around wherever he went? Ryuuk was not being _appreciated_, this wasn't in the _contract_—

_Wait…is that…? _

Light stopped in his tracks, looking in mild surprise at the sight before him.

Normally, two people talking on the lawn wasn't much cause for surprise, but…

_L and Akahana Matsuda…_Light blinked. _What the hell are those two doing together again? Come to think of it…both of them were absent in class… This could mean…_

Light's eyes widened avidly in observation. Hana was snorting and waving a bookbag back and forth like a weapon. L merely looked sort of amused, if not slightly exasperated.

_…Well, they don't exactly _look _like they're secret lovers or anything…actually they look more like a baby and her babysitter…but maybe if I give them time…_

"Hey…why'd we stop?" Ryuuk asked, scratching his head, as a group of people pushed past him and his immobile companion.

Light felt a smirk form on his lips. Even if he'd overestimated a bit, obviously L and Akahana-san _were _closer than they'd let on…perfect. He could use this to his advantage.

_Still…it all depends on what kind of person Akahana-san is. I think I'll try to get to know her better…although, being too obvious about it might make L suspicious…I'll just have to wait it out then…_

Light thought for a moment. It would be best to carry out his plan when things had progressed even more between those two.

"You're causing a rather troublesome roadblock, you know." Ryuuk muttered from behind him. "And the fangirls have gotten closer…"

_I'll just have to play my cards right_, Light decided, oblivious to the shinigami's frantic shoving. _If I do, there's no doubt I'll win this game…_

Hazel eyes narrowed in triumph onto the pale-skinned, unruly-haired young man a few meters in front of him.

_You're going to lose…L. _

-L!-

_Well, there goes my savings for the next month, _I thought cheerily, adjusting the plastic bag filled with several volumes of _Blood+ _that was dangling from my hand. This series was relatively old, but hey, it was darn good.

I exited the small bookstore, pausing in front a bit. I yawned and stretched my arms, peering at my surroundings.

A busy, bustling street sprawled out in front of me. Cars honked from all directions, staining the air with a decidedly smoky smell. A collection of all different sorts of people milled around. Two girls walked by me, both holding a plastic container filled to the brim with fresh dumplings, the tantalizing smell drifting out and eliciting a rumble from my stomach region.

_I haven't had anything since that bagel this morning…and Tamara ate half of it…it's a wonder I haven't eaten anyone yet, it's already ten o'clock…_

My stomach rumbled insistently. _Feed me. _

_Well, maybe just three dumplings, _I grinned evilly, my feet automatically heading towards the new dumpling stall. _Or maybe five. Seven's a good number. I shall go with seven. _

"Arigatou," I beamed, cradling the container of dumplings with one hand and soaking in the heat from the freshly cooked food. I paid the man, then started wandering away from his stall with the full intent of settling on a bench in the park and reading, when my eyes caught a very familiar person stalking up the street like it was no one's business. 

_What the…_My eyes widened as I recognized the familiar head of black. _Touta? _

I stopped in mid-stride, half a dumpling dangling (alliteration!) uneaten on the end of my chopstick. Eyes wide, I watched my brother march his way up the street with a determined, if slightly nervous look on his face.

_He looks like he's about to murder someone, _I thought randomly.

Hey, _wait_ a second…what the hell is Touta doing _here_?

We'd talked earlier on the phone, and I'd asked what his plans were for the day. He said he was going to stay cooped up in the Police Department the whole day following some lead.

_Well, maybe _this_ is the lead he's following_, I reasoned logically with myself.

_In which case, maybe I could go over and distract him or something…okay, never mind, _I shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth the effort. _Touta can go save the world. I'm going to go eat my dumplings in peace somewhere. _

I was just about to turn around and look for a place to sit down, when I suddenly realized something rather odd.

Touta was walking towards a hotel.

_…a hotel?_

Looking up to make sure, I nodded, smiling. _Yup, that's a hotel. _

I spent a few more seconds happily chewing. Then slowly, the chewing stopped. Then I promptly spat out my dumpling.

_Why_ was my brother walking towards a hotel?

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><p><strong>…Well, that ends chapter four! Hope the ending wasn't too sucky. If it was, I'm sorry minna! <strong>

**By now you've probably figured out exactly _what's _in the hotel Matsuda's headed to…muahahahaha…if you haven't, tune in for the next chapter! There shall be realizations. And roundhouse kicking. ** **LE GASP. ****0.o**

**Thanks again so much for reading, and I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**MERRY (almost) CHRISTMAS! **

**Reviewers get a free L! He comes with a bag of candy!**

***waves pocky* Ya know you want the candeh. **


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